{"time":1760501078361,"blocks":[{"id":"x0CgpoZ_TU","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Let the hunt begin!"}},{"id":"9rm0WMr6ou","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"On Wednesday, October 15th, Upper Deck releases the first installment of its flagship product, as 2025-26 Series One hits the shelves. "}},{"id":"g9YVvwVBYU","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Series One and Two are highly anticipated due to the coveted Young Guns that are released within the set. These are considered the \"main rookie card\" for each play, and are highly collectible. "}},{"id":"_1J0rud2WB","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The Young Guns set includes a 50-player checklist each year, and here is a list of the top-five players to chase in Series One. "}},{"id":"eg6B8Uyi2O","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"1. Ivan Demidov, Montreal Canadiens.

Habs fans call him the 'Demi-God', and the demand for his marquee rookie card from Series One flagship will be high. The Russian rookie burst onto the scene late last year and played the final two games of the regular season for Montreal, finishing with a goal and an assist, while adding two more points in five playoff games. He is projected to be a top-six star in Montreal, and already has three points in four games ahead of the Series 1 release (Oct. 15th, 2025)."}},{"id":"FmdCXtsztl","type":"image","data":{"caption":"Ivan Demidov Young Guns","withBorder":false,"withBackground":false,"size":"medium","alignment":"center","linkUrl":"","file":{"url":"https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/1b390941-1d4e-45c5-bf87-0e9a4172c92a.png","width":776,"height":1082}}},{"id":"MCowkftwzH","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"2. Jimmy Snuggerud, St Louis Blues."}},{"id":"-_MKgQraGc","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Snuggerud was a first-round draft pick of the Blues in 2022. He played the final seven games of the 2024-25 season, scoring a goal with three helpers in those games. He also added two goals and two assists in the Blues' seven-game playoff series against Winnipeg. The 21-year-old forward is off to a hot start this season as well, with two goals and three points in the team's first three games before the release of his Young Guns. "}},{"id":"5G4Y-X1Yt6","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"3. Ryan Leonard, Washington Capitals."}},{"id":"8JigREdKhA","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Leonard had a great NCAA collegiate career, notching 61 goals across two seasons with Boston College. He also captained Team USA's U20 team at last year's World Junior Championships, where he tallied five goals and five assists in 10 games. He's gotten off to a slower start at the NHL level with just two goals in his first 14 games, but the scoring abilities are off the charts, and he's expected to be a big-time piece of the post-Ovechkin puzzle in Washington once '8' hangs them up. "}},{"id":"KB_7HUD8rA","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"4. Zayne Parekh, Calgary Flames."}},{"id":"bQnh2tql7g","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"It's not too often a rookie defenseman creates buzz around the NHL, but Parekh scored in his NHL debut in the Flames' final game of the 2024-25 season. He's yet to find the scoresheet early in 2025, but has impressed with his smooth skating and playmaking abilities. He filled the scoresheet in the OHL, putting up 87 goals and 240 points in 177 games at the junior level. It's that level of production that has scouts and fans excited about what he could develop into, given the recent trend of young puck-movers putting up strong production from the back-end. "}},{"id":"jAbhMglm08","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"5. Sam Rinzel, Chicago Blackhawks."}},{"id":"CSFAIZelNJ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The Blackhawks have two young blue liners featured in Series One, but it's Rinzel that I believe will have the most hobby relevance. He was a 2022 first-round draft pick of the Hawks, but played two years of collegiate hockey at the University of Minnesota, scoring 60 points in 79 games at that level. Rinzel then debuted for the Hawks late last season, collecting five assists in nine games. The young defender has just one goal so far in four games this season, but he is a member of the Hawks' top power-play unit, so I'd expect him to produce once that young group gets going. "}},{"id":"i0hq_ijxrW","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Below is the full checklist of 2025-26 Series One Young Guns class: "}},{"id":"jO7TGmbN62","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"201 Artyom Levshunov, Chicago Blackhawks "}},{"id":"3Q2qE-jkgR","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"202 Gabe Perreault, New York Rangers "}},{"id":"WmQOzOn-MC","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"203 Olivier Rodrigue, Edmonton Oilers "}},{"id":"RlQQAHZErD","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"204 Carter Mazur, Detroit Red Wings "}},{"id":"cfmaCB65ZU","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"205 Ivan Demidov, Montreal Canadiens "}},{"id":"NzNLIYKvZD","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"206 Tim Washe, Anaheim Ducks "}},{"id":"FNPsuk_Yru","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"207 Jimmy Snuggerud, St. Louis Blues "}},{"id":"VpJB6hhlXF","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"208 Jack Finley, Tampa Bay Lightning "}},{"id":"GL9YuRQyJn","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"209 Jani Nyman, Seattle Kraken "}},{"id":"r9Jh1yqJ87","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"210 Karsen Dorwart, Philadelphia Flyers"}},{"id":"lxnz2S4yon","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"211 Riley Duran, Boston Bruins "}},{"id":"8TQQPk3A-O","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"212 Ozzy Wiesblatt, Nashville Predators "}},{"id":"G3eDweN1q7","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"213 Luca Cagnoni, San Jose Sharks "}},{"id":"_h_j4XL0Yt","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"214 Ryan Suzuki, Carolina Hurricanes "}},{"id":"Fg_6w2juPY","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"215 Sam Morton, Calgary Flames "}},{"id":"SLJm4gvc5V","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"216 Oliver Moore, Chicago Blackhawks"}},{"id":"-_EVDqxMmc","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"217 Rodrigo Abols, Philadelphia Flyers "}},{"id":"dFOnEUvg7m","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"218 Colton Dach, Chicago Blackhawks "}},{"id":"gXEpzXfIcc","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"219 Noah Ostlund, Buffalo Sabres "}},{"id":"W7iClEUXDY","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"220 Niklas Kokko, Seattle Kraken "}},{"id":"K2J9g69CvY","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"221 Nikita Tolopilo, Vancouver Canucks "}},{"id":"Mk1SxpJscN","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"222 Michael Callahan, Boston Bruins "}},{"id":"K2Xx6HgXgW","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"223 Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks "}},{"id":"cvpxJWx5Vb","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"224 Quinn Hutson, Edmonton Oilers "}},{"id":"gS39z6LGoL","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"225 Jacob Gaucher, Philadelphia Flyers "}},{"id":"QgzLjHwThK","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"226 Dalibor Dvorsky, St. Louis Blues "}},{"id":"pAzvRIIRPB","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"227 Owen Sillinger, Columbus Blue Jackets "}},{"id":"2DwX3GdkgF","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"228 Matthew Wood, Nashville Predators "}},{"id":"ER0J5cqVSW","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"229 Donovan Sebrango, Ottawa Senators "}},{"id":"phGCvJXyDP","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"230 Jacob Melanson, Seattle Kraken "}},{"id":"NLTPOUo5Ew","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"231 Marc Gatcomb, New York Islanders "}},{"id":"AikMBZFBZn","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"232 Ian Moore, Anaheim Ducks "}},{"id":"wxUZQL2qfZ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"233 Ville Koivunen, Pittsburgh Penguins "}},{"id":"hsixWdxdqD","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"234 Dominik Shine, Detroit Red Wings "}},{"id":"7xzlYineEu","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"235 Rory Kerins, Calgary Flames "}},{"id":"o8-emDgwbm","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"236 Zayne Parekh, Calgary Flames "}},{"id":"iF5wqEFVfS","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"237 Joakim Kemell, Nashville Predators "}},{"id":"eMYGOOw9s5","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"238 Ryan Leonard, Washington Capitals "}},{"id":"tzdiD2ppHZ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"239 Matthew Robertson, New York Rangers "}},{"id":"Kfwlhepr7T","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"240 Ethen Frank, Washington Capitals "}},{"id":"DDVAVhSZyC","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"241 Jacob Quillan, Toronto Maple Leafs "}},{"id":"5RsKlUW2gt","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"242 Cam Lund, San Jose Sharks "}},{"id":"W7cw1yxKy-","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"243 Justin Robidas, Carolina Hurricanes "}},{"id":"U9PZ5s5Y3f","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"244 Jakub Skarek, New York Islanders "}},{"id":"my_UIZPJHs","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"245 Victor Ostman, Seattle Kraken "}},{"id":"qmHdLKYLAH","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"246 Parker Ford, Winnipeg Jets "}},{"id":"IsHIXAfj3N","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"247 Skyler Brind’Amour, Carolina Hurricanes "}},{"id":"JBRZtc23Pl","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"248 Sam Rinzel, Chicago Blackhawks "}},{"id":"hDb9mQR1Ra","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"249 Dylan Duke, Tampa Bay Lightning "}},{"id":"1AcBYv9hBW","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"250 Ivan Demidov/Artyom Levshunov CL, Montreal/Chicago Canadiens/Blackhawks."}}],"version":"2.31.0"}

Share your thoughts with the community